South Korean currency is issued by the Bank of Korea, the central bank of South Korea, and the currency unit is "won". There are currently three denominations of banknotes: 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000, and four denominations of coins: 10, 50, 100 and 500. These currencies also contain a lot of stories about Korean history. As long as the average person takes out these coins of different sizes, looks at them and understands the origin of the patterns on the coins, they can already have a general understanding of the important figures and events in the history of the Joseon Dynasty.
First look at the 10,000-won note, which has the largest denomination. On the right side of the note is the bust of King Sejong the Great.
Sejong (Lee Sun, courtesy name Yuanzheng. 1397-1450 AD) is undoubtedly the most literary monarch among the kings of the Joseon Dynasty. He is known as the "Holy King Sejong". Sejong loved reading since he was a child, and he probably spent his teenage years in a pile of books. In the "Records of Sejong Janghyon" in "Records of the Joseon Dynasty", a story about the life of a bookworm in Sejong's boyhood is recorded. When Sejong was young, he loved reading so much that he forgot to eat and sleep. Sejong's father, Taizong, felt very distressed when he saw his frail son holding books all day long. He had to secretly ask the palace officials to hide all his son's books quietly so that the bookworm could take a rest. When Shizong was not paying attention, the palace people collected all the books. Shizong found that all the books were missing and felt very depressed. At this time, he discovered that there was another book on the floor that he had not taken away in time. Shizong was very happy. He ran over and picked it up, then sat down and read it with relish. When Emperor Taizong saw this, he shook his head and said to his left and right: "It seems that it is natural to be studious and tireless."
His interest in culture as a boy must have had a great impact on Sejong after he ascended the throne. influence. Sejong treated literati very favorably and hired talented people without being restricted by their status or status. Sejong's most glorious achievement was to convene many well-educated scholars at that time to establish Zhengyin Hall in Jixian Hall to engage in the work of creating Zhengyin for training the people. The Korean alphabet we see today is the masterpiece of King Sejong the Great. Language is the soul of a nation, and Sejong, who created Korean national writing, has since become the greatest figure in Korean history.
Sejong not only made outstanding contributions in culture, but also made great achievements in politics, economy, and military. This almighty king therefore ranked first in the ranking of banknotes and was printed on the 10,000-won banknote with the largest denomination.
The pattern on the back of the 10,000-won note is the Gyeonghoe Tower in Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul.
Gyeonghue Tower occupies an important position in Korean traditional architecture, both in terms of scale and aesthetics. Gyeongbokgung Palace was built in the era of Joseon Taejo Lee Seong-gye, while Gyeonghue Tower was built on a small island in the middle of the lake in the palace during the era of Taejoong Lee Bang-won, and was expanded during the Sejong era. This is a place for holding large-scale banquets and receiving foreign envoys. On a night when the moon is high, the scenery of Qinghui Tower bathed in the breeze is quite elegant. There are three connections on the pond in front of the palace for people of different status. The four different patterns carved on the stone bridge are said to have the effect of avoiding the disaster of Huilu. It is a pity that these mythical beasts could not protect Qinghui Tower for a long time. During the Japanese Rebellion of Imjin, this elegant palace was burned to the ground. The Qinghui Tower we see now was rebuilt during the reign of Emperor Gaozong.
The character on the 5,000-won note is named Yi Er (alias Yulgok. 1536-1584 AD). He was a famous scholar active in the middle of the Joseon Dynasty.
It is said that Li Er was a boy gifted by the fairy of the East China Sea. Before his mother gave birth, she dreamed of a blue dragon in Wuzhuxuan, so he got the nickname "Xianlong". This grandson of the Dragon Son has been studying since his mother was a child. He passed the Jinshi examination at the age of 13. He was selected as the number one scholar in the later student examination and Shi Nian liberal arts examination. He successively served as the Supervisor of Huanghai Road, Da Si Xian, Li Cao, and Xing Cao. , Bing Cao Judgment and other official positions. In terms of knowledge, he was a great Confucian in Neo-Confucianism alongside Toegye Yi Hwang. The two of them established the Korean Neo-Confucian system. Li Er criticized Li Hwang's theory and developed his own thoughts, which were called the Yulgok School. Li Er was committed to applying knowledge to practical politics and made unremitting efforts to implement the "Datong Law" and "Sicang". However, based on his political deeds, it seems that his ideas were not immediately adopted by the king. His foresight was often confirmed only after the fact.
It is said that when Li Er was at home, he ordered his people to go to the Huashi Pavilion by the Imjin River when they had time and paint the pillars in the pavilion. After the servants heard the master's strange order, they couldn't restrain their curiosity and asked why. Li Er didn't explain much at the time, he just asked his servants to do what he wanted. Anyway, they would need it later. Yi Er died in 1584 AD. Eight years after his death, the Imjin Japanese Rebellion broke out. The Korean army retreated steadily under Japanese attacks, and King Seonjo had to be trapped in the Imjin River. It was late at night, there was no one visible by the river, and the Japanese army was chasing after them. Seonjo's retinue held lamps, and the light shone on the painted pillars of Hwaseok Pavilion and reflected to the surroundings. The area by the river was suddenly illuminated. Thanks to these pillars, Seonjo was able to cross the river safely. Otherwise, the king of a country would become a prisoner and his fate would be over.
On the back of the 5,000-won note, Wuzhuxuan, the birthplace of Li Er, is printed.
Ojukheon is located in Gangneung, Gangwon-do. It is the natal family of Imdang Shin In-sun, the mother of Yi Er and a talented female teacher of the generation. At that time, it was a popular custom in North Korea for daughters to return to their natal family to give birth. This is a mansion with profound historical significance. It was built in the last years of the Goryeo Dynasty and was the residence of the sage Choi Chi-woon. Later, Cui Zhiyun's son Cui Yingxian passed it on to his son-in-law Li Siwen, who then passed it on to his son-in-law Shen Minghe, who was Li Er's grandfather. Wuzhuxuan is now the Wuzhuxuan Municipal Museum.
A special mention would be made here of Li Er’s talented mother Shen Renshan. She was knowledgeable and especially good at painting. At a gathering of scholar-bureaucrats and ladies, the maid accidentally spilled tea on a lady's skirt, which she had borrowed from someone else, so she felt very anxious. At this time, Shen Renshan asked the lady to take off her skirt, and he used a paintbrush to paint on the stains on the skirt. Under her exquisite brushwork, the stains of the tea turned into lifelike grapes and young leaves. This stained skirt was later sold for a lot of money, enough to buy several silk outer skirts.
1000 won is the lowest face value of banknotes, with the obverse image of Toegye Yi Hwang (alias Kyungho. 1501-1570 AD), a great scholar in the middle Joseon Dynasty.
Li Hwang and Li Er are equally famous and are considered to be the two pioneers of Korean Neo-Confucianism. In terms of seniority, Li Huang was Li Er's predecessor. Although Li Er criticized Li Huang's teachings, he also inherited some of them. Yi Hwang's thoughts influenced the Yulgok School, Yeongnam School, and Giho School, and he was a representative of Korean Neo-Confucianism. There were many scholars who followed Li Hwang at that time, and many of them were people with status and status in the court, such as senior officials Liu Chenglong, Li Shanhai and others. It can be seen that the Toegye School was the mainstream of the academic circles at that time.
Li Huang claimed to be the successor of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, and Confucian dogma was reflected in every detail of his life. From this point of view, Li Huang is undoubtedly a defender of Taoism. At the age of sixty-nine, due to the deterioration of his condition, Li Huang wanted to resign his position as right-hand minister and return to his hometown. King Seonjo disagreed and wanted to keep Lee Hwang in his court. At this time, Li Er came to visit and persuaded him to continue assisting the young Seonjo in the court, but Li Huang firmly refused. He said: "Logically speaking, as a minister, you should not leave the court. But I am seriously ill. And if you are not capable of taking on important responsibilities, it is time to abdicate. Taking his position and not seeking his position will bring bad atmosphere to the court." Li Huang believed that loyalty to the monarch did not necessarily have to be shown by staying in the court, because he was young. Being old and sick and voluntarily leaving the court is an act of loyalty. Although he has left, his heart still remains with the king. The relationship between monarch and ministers is maintained by great justice. This is the concept of "loyalty" in Li Huang's mind.
On the back of the 1,000-won note is Dosan Academy, located in Andong City, North Gyeongsang Province. Li Huang opened a private school here during his lifetime and trained a large number of students. After his death, his disciples founded this academy here in memory of this famous Confucian of his generation. Dosan Seowon was a cultural research center among the Eight Paths of the Joseon Dynasty. Amidst the trend of abolishing academies in the late Joseon Dynasty, Dosan Seowon became one of the few academies that survived. The academy has a large collection of Li Huang's relics.
The patterns on Korean banknotes are basically cultural celebrities and cultural relics, and the elegant ancient style comes across. If a country's banknotes are the country's business card, then South Korea's national business card design is undoubtedly quite successful. In addition, I wonder if you have noticed that the characters on these banknotes are all from the Joseon Dynasty of the Lee family, and all of them have the surname Lee? This is also a quite interesting phenomenon.